Water heater



Apnl 1, 1930. F. A. GAUGER ET AL WATER HEATER APPLIANCE 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Feb. 28, 1923 FrankA-G au'qar Ru\ W. Johnson 0 Ill/ll,

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P 1930- F. A. GAUGER ET I- 1,752,840

WATER HEATER APPLIANCE Filed Feb. 28, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I/'@,% /7 0 /Z6 0 I 'IIM m...

Qy% y Patented Apr. 1 1936 v NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK A. GAU GER AND ROY W. JOHNSON, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNORS,

IB Y MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO TIME-O-STAT CONTROLS COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F MARYLAND WATER-HEATER APPLIANCE Application filed February 28, 1923. Serial No. 621,937.

10 which may be listed its expensiveness of construction and operation, and the dangers incidental thereto, in that should the pilot light be extinguished a manipulation of the fuel control valve willpermit the escape of fuel 15 and result in aserious menace to the life and property of the household.

It is, therefore, one of the objects of, this invention to provide an appliance of the character described in which the burner proper is incapable of connection with its source of fuel supply while thepilot light is extinguished.

In the ordinary or simplified type of household water heatlng device it is customary to operate the heater for a desired period oftime in order to first heat the water in a tank, and the lighting and extinguishing of the heater burner has heretofore been actuated by manipulation or else by a valve control embodied in the plumbing of the house and actuated by the flow of water through the pipes. In the last mentioned type of control many objectionable features exist, such as cost of installation, incidental to the plumbing necessary to connect the control valve with the water pipes, and its inability of perfect control.

Having this in mind, it is another object of our invention to provide a water heater appliance equipped with a time controlled element whereby the heater burner may be ignited andmaintained connectedwith its source of fuel for a predetermined period of time after which the burner will be automatically disconnected from its fuel supply, at the same time permitting the manual extinction of the burner at any desired period before the time limit set. i i

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of an expansion device or bellows for providing a time control for the heater appliance which device is incased in a control box of neat appearance which may be attached at any convenient place in the house or. may be attached directly to the heater appliance.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of an improved valve means for connecting the burner with its source of fuel for any predetermined period of time which is normally urged to closed position and is movable to open position by a lever actuated from a control device, which is counter-balanced and urged by gravity to a position disengaging the valve.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, our invention resides in the novel construe tion, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of our invention constructed according to the best mode we have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in.which:

I Figure 1 is an elevational view illustrating 7 our improved device and the manner of mounting the control thereof at a point remote therefrom;

Figure 2 is a view, partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, illustrating the .interior of the remote control device, the parts being in the positions they occupy when the appliance is inoperative; A

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view, partly in transverse section and' partly in elevation, illustrating the lower portion of the remote control device with the parts in the positions they occupy when the appliance is in operation;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary 'view, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken through the lower half of the control device on the plane of the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sec- Figure 5.

eferring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, indicates the outer casing of a water heater appliance having Q, a burner 11 disposed beneath a heating coil 12 which is connected with the plumbing of a household by pipes 13in which is included the usual water tank, not shown, having a connection with a faucet 14. The burner .11 2 is connected with a source of fuel supply by a pipe line 15 in "which is disposed an improved control device 16 now about to be described. I

The control device comprises a casing or casting 17 (Figure 6) provided with an inlet chamber 18 and an outlet chamber 19 connected by a port 20. The fuel supply line 15 is connected with chamber 18 and the burner 11 connected with the outlet chamber by a ipe 21, a valve 22 controlling the passage of uel through the inlet chamber 18.

Valve 22 comprises a sleeve or plug -member 23 (Figure 5) having an inner bore-24 and an outer bore 25 connected b an apertured partition 26 through whic passes a valve stem 27 carrying at its inner end a valve head 28 adapted to seat against the inner end of the valve sleeve, a plunger or head 29 being formed on the outer end of the valve stem for enga ement by a suitable operating means, to e later described, for opening the valve. I Y

The valve is normally urged to closing position, with its head 28 seating against the inner end of the sleeve, by a spring 30 confined between head 29 and a washer 31 which firmly secures suitable packing between it and part 26 to prevent escape of fuel. The chamber 18 is enlarged, as at 32, adjacent the inner end of the valve sleeve and the inner end of the sleeve is tapered and seats against a shoulder 33 formed by said recess to prevent the flow of fuel therepast, the walls of the sleeve, being apertured, as at 34,

to connect bore 24 with recess 32 so thatvthe fuel will pass from the fuel supply through bore 24, o enings 34, recess 32, a passage 35 (Figure 6? connecting recess 32 with an auxiliary valve chamber 36 directly communicat- 00 ing with bore 20, through bore 20 and to the burner through outlet 19 and pipe connection 21 when the valve is open.

The means for manipulating valve 22 comprises a lever 37, the inner end of which is pivotally secured, as at 38', to lug 38 formed 'lever which is engageable with the undersurface of the casting, asillustrated in Figures 5 and 6. y

A constantly burning pilot light is pro- I vided to ignite the burner when valve 22 is open and casting 17 is provided with a recess 42 adapted to communicate with an aperture 43 in the side of casing 10 adjacent the burner 11, a pilot tip 44 of special construction, as

later described, being positioned in said recess. The pilot is furnished with a constant supply of fuel through a bypass 45 leading from the inlet 18, the volume of fuel passing through by pass 45 being controlled by a needle or set screw 46.

As illustrated in the drawings, that part of the casting 17 surrounding recess 42 is slightly enlarged and provided with a pair of opposed ears or lugs 47 through which pass suitable attaching screws for securing the device to casing 10. The pilot tip 44 is in the form of a tube or shell 48, the outer end of which extends slightly into the casing 10 through opening 43 and the inner end of which is reduced, as'at 49, and medially secured to a nipple 50 which is threaded into by pass 45 at its point of communication with recess 42. The outer end of the nipple is positioned within the inner end of the tube 48 andteri'ninates adjacent a shoulder 51 which defines the diameter of the major portion of the tube, the tip 44 having an aperture 52 in its part above the inner end of the nipple. The nipple has an aperture 53 slightly inwardly of point 49 and an aperture 54 located at a point registering with the aperture 52, the nipple having a passage 55 there- ,through connecting the interior of tube 48 with the bypass, the passage 55 being restricted at its end in tube 48 to insure a supply of fuel to the flame 57, air being admitted to the tube through an opening 54' therein.

With this construction of the pilot tip, separate flames 56 and 57 are maintained at the. outer end of tube 48 and at apertures 52 and 53 respectively, the flame 56 playing toward the burner 11 and flame 57 playing on the thermostatic device 58, now about to be described. In the event the concussion, incidental to the ignition of the burner 11, extin uishes flame 56, flame 57 will-remain lit an consequently the fuel passing outwardly through tube 48 again ignited through opening 52, as will be readily apparent,v Should the other flame 57 become extinguished 59 preferably of .metal having a high coefficient of expansion, the inner end of which is secured, as at 60, to the casting 17 adj acent the pilot tip and the outer end of which is provided with a cap 61 adjustably mounting the upper end- 62 of a rod 63 passing through an opening in the casting 17 and having its lower end pivotally connected with a lever 64 mounted in chamber 19. Rod 63 is preferably formed of metal having a very low coeflicient of expansion so that while the pilot is ignited the flame 57 plays on tube 59 and extends the same as a result of which rod 63 will be moved outwardly of compartment 19, as will be readily apparent. The thermostatic device and flame 57 are protected by a guard tube or housing 65 having a snug, but removable fit in a recess 66 surrounding the thermostatic device and that part of the pilot providing the-flame 57.

The lever 64, as illustrated in Figure 6, has one end pivotally secured to one wall of the casting 17, as at 66, and its other end 67 engageable with the stem 68 of a valve 69 which is adapted to close port 20 and dis- Connect the fuel supply independently of the valve 28, valve 69 being normally urged to closed position by a spring 70 confined between the head of the valve and a removable plug or cap 71. The rod 63 is so adjusted that when tube 59 is expanded under the in fluence ofthe heat from flame 57, valve 69 will be held in open position against the action of its spring and when the tube 59 cools, by reason of the extinction of the pilot light, the same contracts and permits movementof the rod 63 into chamber 19 and the conse-v quent return of the valve to closed position. Valve 6.9 has an annular rib 72 which seats on a flange 73 surrounding port 20 and in the event the seat becomes imperfect, same can be readily corrected by striking the top of the valve a sharp blow.

From the above it will be readily obvious that immediately upon opening ofvalve 28 the burner 11 is connected with its source of fuel, the pilot light igniting the same, and in the event the concussion incidental to the igniting of the burner extinguishes flame 56, the same will be instantly relighted by flame 57 through the opening 51. In the event the pilot is completely extinguished, the opening .of'valve 28 will have no effect, as valve 69 will be closed, as previously described. Thus the burner will be disconnected from its source of supply'until the pilot is again ignited and the thermostatic device heated sufli ciently to open valve 69.

As it is very desirable to control valve 28 T from a point remote from the heater and to retain valve 11 open for any desired length of time, we provide the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1 to 4. This device comprises a casing 74 in the lower part of which is jouring a handle 81 on its outer end to facilitate winding the cable 77 around the pulley 76 and to raise the lever 37.

The bearing 79 has its rear end formed with a guard 82 covering the pulley 76 to prevent the riding thereofl of the cable 77 and one arm of the spider has a standard or upwardly extending part 83 to which is pivotally secured, as at 84, a pawl or detent 85, the under surface 86 of which is struck on an are substantially equal to that described by a crank arm 87 fixed on shaft 75 between the spider and the outer face of casing 74.

The outer free end 88 of the detent'is struck from an arc employing the pivot 84 as a center and when shaft -75'is rotated in a clockwise direction with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 2 the roller 89 journaled in the outer end of the arm 87 will ride along the arcuate face 86 of the detent raising the same on its pivot until the roller passes the free end of the detent when the same drops therebehind to prevent its return under the influence of the counterbalance 40 on lever 47.

To permit the ready release of the crank arm, and its consequent return to a position with the roller 89 engaging a stop 90 carried by the casing 74, I provide a lever 91 having its inner end secured to-the detent with its other end passed out of the casing through a slot or opening 92, the curved or arcuate end face 88 of the detent facilitating the ready release of the arm 87, as will be obvious.

While it may be desirable in many instances to manually trip the detent to release the arm 87, means may be provided for accomplishing this feature after any predetermined limit of time, in the present instance the same being in the form of a unit mounted in the upper end of casing 74, as will now be described.

Secured to the upper or top wall of casing 74 by having its upper end reduced and passed through an opening therein to receive clamping nut 93 is a valve stem 94 to which is secured a fluid receiving chamber 95 by being threaded on the valve stem 94, as at 96. The valve stem 94 extends through the chamber and has a valve head 97 on its lower end portion' seating within the part of the chamber 95 surrounding an opening 98 in the bottom thereof. Extended from the bottom of the chamber 95 and having a bore 99 registering with the opening 98 is a sleeve 100 inwhich is slidably mounted the head 101 of a plunger or bolt member having its shank 102 passed outwardly through an opening in the closed end 103 of the sleeve withits end 104 secured to a plate 105 having one end of a bellows or corrugated expansion cylinder 106 secured thereto, the other end of which is secured, as at 107, to a rib or flange 108 formed on the lower portion of the chamber 95.

The bellows together with a spring 109 coiled around stem 102 and confined between the head 101 and the closed end of the sleeve, at all timestends to retain plate 105 against the end of the sleeve, as illustrated in Figure 4, and when the parts are in this position detent 85 will be held out of the path of the arm 87 by a rod 110 having its upper end threaded in a boss 111 formed on plate 105 and its lower end provided with a pin 112 en aging in an enlarged opening 113 in theetent, The opening 113 is oversize to permit independent releaseof the detent when the bellows are extended and spring 109 compressed, as will be obvious.

After the bellows have been extended to permit the positioningof the detent within the path of arm 87, its gradual return under the action of spring 109 is controlled by a fluid such as oil or the like within the bellows and chamber 95. The oil is permitted free passage into the bellows, as it is extended,

through a passage 114 in the valve stem 94, said passage havlng ports 115 communicating with the chamber and ports 116 communicating with bore 99 which is in turn connected with the interior of the bellows through a port 117.

Passage 114; is normally closed by a check or ball valve 118 which is urged to closed position by a spring 119, and permits the unrestricted flow of the fluid ,into the bellows. The gradual return of the bellows is controlled by a bypass 120 in the lower portion of the chamber which communicates directly with the interior of the bellows, the opening of the bypass being adjustable by a needle valve 121 having its head 122 positioned in alignment with an opening"123 in the top of easing 7 4 to facilitate its rotation.

In order to insure the perfect operation of the bellowsdevice and to prevent interference with its expansion by the formation of a vacuum in chamber 95, a bypass 124 connects the upper portion of the chamber with the interior 114 of stem .94, which is restricted thereadjacent, as at 125, to provide a'seat for engagement with a needle valve 126, an opening 127 communicating with the interior of stem 94 outwardly of seat 125 and the chamber 95.

The needle valve 126 serves no function during the operation of the device;'but merely is provided for convenience in shipping the appliance to close the upper end of the passage 114 and prevent escape ofany of the fluid, as will be readil apparent;

In'operation of our evice, the lever is depressed to any one of the graduations 128 on the casing front which represents a predehind the arm 85, lever 37 retains the valve in open position until the bellows has been contracted, lifting the detent to free the arm and permit lever 37 to drop and rotate shaft 75 in a counter-clockwise direction with reference to Figures 1, 2 and 2 to close valve 28. As will be readily apparent the bellows may be adjusted to contract at any desired rate and the detent may be raised independent of the bellows.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A time controlled releasing mechanism comprising an operating shaft biased to a predetermined position, a handle for actuating said shaft, a cooking member connected, to said shaft and adjusted thereby, a pivotally supported trigger member biased to a latching position in which it is adapted to latch the cocking member in set position, a time element, a pin connected 'to and operated by said time element, said trigger member having an enlarged-- opening in which said pin is. loosely fitted and a single handle connected'to the trigger member and acting when moved in one direction to set the time element and move the trigger member to latching position wherein the trigger remains until released by the action of the time element after the expiration of a predetermined time interval, said handle, when moved in the opposite direction, acting to move the trigger to released position independently of the time element. v

2. A time controlled releasing mechanism for use with cable means employed for opening a valve biased to closed osition and com prising tensioning means a apted to cooperate with the cable means to open the valve, a cooking member connected to said tensioning means and adjusted thereby, a trigger biased to a latching position in which it is adapted to latch the cooking member in set position, a time element having a lost motion connection with the trigger and operable to release the same after the expiration of a redetermined period, and a single'handle or setting the time element and positioning the trigger for engagement with the cocking member, said lost motion connection between the trigger and the time element permitting the trigger and' time,elment to be initially set and the cooking member to be thereafter snapped into engagement with the trigdger when said tensioning means is operate 3. A time controlled releasiii mechanism for use with a controlling mem er biased to predetermined position and comprising a cooking member connected to said controlling member and adjusted thereby, a pivote the setting of the trigger member, the latch-.

all supported trigger biased to latching psit bn and having a cam surface and a latching shoulder, a time element having a lost motion connection with the trigger, a single handle for setting the trigger and the time element and a single handle for operating the controlling member and the cocking member, said st motion connection permitting the cocking member and cam surface of the trigger member to coact to shift the trigger out of the path of movement of the cocking member when the cooking member is set subsequent to ing shoulder of said trigger member automatically snapping into engagement with the cocking member under the influence of the bias of the trigger member when the cocking member reaches set position.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

FRANK A. GAUGER. ROY W. JOHNSON. 

